Mark Vernon
Mark Vernon is a Glasgow based artist who explores concepts of audio archaeology, magnetic memory and nostalgia through his sound works. At the core of his practice lies a fascination with the intimacy of the radio voice, environmental sound, obsolete media and the reappropriation of found recordings. A rich collection of domestic tape recordings; audio letters, dictated notes, answer-phone messages and other lost voices often find their way into his unorthodox soundworlds. These diverse elements are distilled into radiophonic compositions for broadcast, multi-channel diffusion, fixed media and live performances.
A keen advocate of radio as an art form, he co-runs and curates Glasgow’s art radio station, Radiophrenia. He was a founding member of Glasgow’s Radio Tuesday collective and went on to set up several other RSL art radio projects in the UK including Hair Waves, Efford FM and Nowhere Island Radio. He is an award winning radio producer who has created programmes for stations including Resonance FM, VPRO, Sound Art Radio, Radio Revolten, Deutschland Radio Kultur, Radio Cona, Radio Picnic, Ears Have Ears, Kunstradio, Wavefarm, RADIA, EBU and the BBC.
Since 2011 he has co-run Lights Out Listening Group – a bi-monthly listening event focused on creative uses of sound and radio that takes place in complete darkness.
His solo music projects have been published through labels including Kye, Glistening Examples, Flaming Pines, Discrepant, Entr’acte, 3Leaves, Misanthropic Agenda, Canti Magnetici, Granny, Calling Cards Publishing, Psyché Tropes, Persistence of Sound and Gagarin Records, as well as a series of small CDR and LP editions on his own meagre resource imprint.
He has collaborated on a wide variety of projects with artists including Marc Baron, Manja Ristić, Fritz Welch, Steve McInerney, Sarah Kenchington, Jane Topping, Laura Phillips, Elina Bry, Elen Huynh, Ilaria Boffa, Leonnie Roessler, Barry Burns, Nichola Scrutton, Zoë Irvine and Luke Fowler.
Mark’s radio productions range from documentaries and radio plays to more experimental audio collage and soundscape pieces. His practice also encompasses performance, soundtracks, installations and record releases. He is a lecturer in Sound Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College, Dundee